Currently there are a number of solutions for interring human remains. Some of these solutions include casket interments. These solutions, however, are unable to meet some of the needs of the industry because not all individuals interested in casket burials are able to afford the type and look of the casket they desire for their loved ones. Other solutions attempt to provide alternatives to casket interments. Such alternatives include urns and vaults that store cremated remains. However, these solutions similarly fail to meet some of the needs of the industry and suffer from a variety of drawbacks related to design and cost.
One of the problems with the current state of the art that has been recognized is that existing urns and vaults are difficult to handle, particularly when lowering the vault into a grave during an interment, or when raising the vault from the ground during a disinterment. Still other solutions seek to make up for cost-related deficiencies by providing financial solutions, such as payment plans or credit cards, but these solutions also fail to meet industry needs because many funeral homes have difficulty collecting payment after the interment is complete, or families are left with untold financial problems when settling funeral expenses.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,421,765 to Kaiser discloses a weatherproof cremation urn and burial vault. The urn and vault are hermetically sealed closures made of rigid polyfoam plastic cores covered with aggregate coatings. Included are decorative interior liners, exterior handles, religious inscriptions and identification plaques. In a first aspect, the burial vault and urn are adapted to be displayed during a memorial service and stored below ground. In a second aspect, the vault and urn are adapted to rest above ground at a grave site, in a garden or in a columbarium.
There exists a need to provide a vault for cremated remains that can be placed in a crypt or burial chamber, in or above the ground. Furthermore, it would also be desirable to have an inexpensive alternative to casketed burials. There is also a need to provide individuals a safe, private and waterproof means of interring cremated remains with memorabilia. It would also be desirable to have a vault that does not suffer the stability problems of known solutions. Therefore, there currently exists a need in the industry for a cremation vault or urn that does not suffer the deficiencies of known solutions.